Kiss Me, Kill me
by Enchantable
Summary: A series of GinRan oneshots
1. Kiss Me

**Okay so who else saw what happened to Matsumoto and went "OMG what's Gin gonna do?". If you're like me and you did, here you go. One shot! Not too sappy. I also played a bit with the tenses.**

**As always I'm open to continuing.**

**Happy belated thanksgiving to all!!**

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The first thing that Gin saw when the flames encasing him cleared was Rangiku.

Rangiku with her strawberry blond hair covering her features and her slate grey eyes closed as her spectacular chest struggled in a battle for air.

He saw Rangiku dying.

Gin knew that he would see her. He knew she was a proud woman as well as a Vice Captain. There was no way she wouldn't be on the battlefield. In his mind he had always pictured her standing proud and tall, still wearing the necklace he had gotten her so long ago, her grey eyes promising all kinds of agony for him. He would grin and she would glare and they would probably meet at some point but be completely unable to kill each other. After all, how could they? Their relationship had always been sort of undefinable, sides and loyalties were not that much of a concern to him and he had always been a strange grey area to her.

But seeing her lying there, kido being the only thing that kept her from falling to the ground like some angel cast out of heaven, it made his insides twist. This was Ran. Beautiful, strong Rangiku Matsumoto who didn't care that her Captain was a fraction of her age. Who didn't care that he never showed his eyes or always grinned. Who wasn't scared of him or his Zanpakto or what he could do. He made no secret of the fact that he was a cold blooded killer and Rangiku just shrugged and said as long as he didn't kill her or her friends she didn't mind. Then her eyes would go serious and she would tell him that he better not get himself killed either because prodigy or no he was a Shinigami and he could still die.

On the rare occasions that he did get injured, she would always be by him when he woke up. First she would scream, call him an idiot, a fool, the most arrogant man she had ever met. Then she would demand to know what he was thinking going and getting himself cut, burned or otherwise injured. Her eyes would fill with sadness, or depending on the injury, tears and she would demand to know what he thought she'd do if he was no longer there. He'd always flash some kind of smile her way--usually from behind an oxygen mask--and tell her that she'd move on and find some other man to fascinate. She'd glare furiously but would stay by his side none the less.

But now he wasn't the one injured. No, he was the one standing there shell shocked as her blood spread wider and wider, staining the bright glow of the kido as his old Vice Captain and Tousen's battled the Fraccion. He wanted to shake her and demand to know what the hell she had been thinking going after three Fraccion on her own--Halibel's Fraccion. Even if she didn't know her ranking she had to know she was n the Top 3. Soul Society's intelligence couldn't be _that_ bad. And having Hinamori as backup? The girl was alright but she had spent the past couple months locked in the 4th Division. She shouldn't even be on the battlefield much less the one watching Ran's back. Her precious 'boy genius' Captain was in his own battle, either he didn't know or he was hiding it very well since he continued to fight Halibel with skill that impressed even Gin.

But Ran was still unguarded. He was expected to fight, he knew that. Half the people gathered had their eyes on the three traitors of Soul Society. Aizen was the prime one but he knew that he was also up there. So was Tousen. What went wrong, he was sure everyone was wondering. Sometimes he wondered himself but he never wondered for long. He never really thought about it much. What was the point? All that mattered was the result. Or all that _had_ mattered was the end result. Now all that mattered was the rise and fall of Ran's chest. All that mattered was the next moment she continued to exist, her heart to beat, her chest to rise, all that mattered was that no-one seemed to realize her next breath could be her last. His own chest feels like its been crushed, slowly.

His body moves instantly as he _Shunpo's _faster than he knew. Before Aizen can demand answers, before Tousen can spout more no-blood-bullshit. Before he can protest he moves. He's on the Kido beside her almost instantly. The smell of blood and flesh nearly topples him but he forces himself to get closer. Her blood begins to seep through the mockery-of-pure white of his robes. He doesn't care. There isn't any time to heal her here and he's got nowhere to go that he won't be gutted like an animal before he can do any good so he does the only thing his panic-ridden mind can come up with and _Shunpo's_ back to the evil side.

Aizen Sosuke is many things, stupid isn't one of them and even he knows that if Ran dies now Gin's as good as useless. Rangiku Matsumoto--as well as dried persimmons--have always been kryptonite to Gin Ichimaru. If there is a moment that will be stricken from the record of the WInter War it will be the moment that Aizen Sosuke did nothing to stop his former Vice Captain from healing the woman he loved. Their relationship had always been something of a father-son one and its never more obvious than in that moment. The battle rages onwards as Gin cradles Matsumoto's body against his own, ignoring the hot, sticky blood that soaks his robes, the ragged gasps that tickle his hair and focusing only on the Kido that pours from his fingers.

Slowly organs reform, bones grow, muscles knit together and angry red skin is covered by the smooth pale skin that is the same as the rest of her. He's a good Shinigami, even if he's not much of a healer. He doesn't have a sash or anything to bind her skin with so he grabs the scarf around her and gently moves her into a sitting position, bracing her against his chest as his hands wind the fabric around her torso.

"Gin?" the breathy inquiry sends shivers down the back of his neck.

"Yeah, Ran," he replies, tucking the bandages against each other.

"Don't kill any of my friends," she whispers softly.

"I'll try," he says, though the words sound lame to both their ears.

What he doesn't expect is her head to turn and her lips to gently press to the skin of his neck, her lips murmuring something he can _feel_ instead of hear.

They were both covered in her blood and she was still weak from healing. Rangiku knew that she's was not going to be much use in this battle. It hurt to admit that but the last thing she wanted was to distract someone and get them hurt or killed. Rangiku was someone who dealt with prodigies but she knew she wasn't one herself. She didn't care, not when she was in Gin's arms for the first time in forever. She had planned to go into the battle and find him and kick his ass. It was easy to plan things, making those plans reality was a whole other matter. But Gin had saved her and even if she didn't want to admit it her broken heart seemed to be singing.

Hinamori was on their side, Gin had saved her. It seemed dizzying but that could have been the blood loss. She remembered as a child telling Gin she didn't mind that he was a killer, as long as he didn't kill any of her friends. So far he hadn't. He had betrayed them, hurt them, done horrible things to them, sure. But he had never killed them and that had given her just the smallest bit of hope. Oh she still wanted to beat him senseless but she wanted to do it herself. She wanted to beat him and then she wanted him to grovel for her forgiveness but above all things she wanted him back. Back with Soul Society, back with her. So when he promised not to kill any of them she half-believed him.

But she knew that war was a fickle thing and that Soul Society would not go down without a fight. They were the good guys and the good guys won eventually. When he had been taken by the beam of light he had jokingly told her that he wished she held on for a bit longer. Her arms were weak but she still fisted them in the back of his robe, turning her head and gently kissing his neck as she whispered her request against the skin of his throat. She felt his head bob, the silver of his hair brushing her nose before she felt his hands move. There was a half-hearted burst of Kido on his part and a succumbing to unconsciousness on hers and the world went away.

Gin gently eased her down. His robes were still wet and red but suddenly they seemed cold instead of hot. He risked one last look over at her unconscious form before he placed a Kido around her and vanished with _Shunpo_. Shinso glinted as he joined the battle, Rangiku's words echoing in his ear.

_Gin, try not to get yourself killed either_


	2. Starlight, Starbright

**Okay so I've decided Kiss me, Kill me is going to be a series of interconnected onshots, just like Saints and Sinners and Formal Affair. As always they might be interconnected but most of them will be stand alones.**

**So this is a very sappy, fluffy oneshot about Gin and Matsumoto's first kiss. Everyone is a bit more carefree than they are now and much more innocent, they're a bit OOC--okay they're a lot OOC given how they act now. But remember this is a very long time ago.**

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The stars that blanketed the sky of Soul Society were something that Gin knew he would never get tired of. They were gorgeous, bright jewels set in the inky velvet of the sky. Even if his hands were raw with scrubbing and his thumb had a blister on it, he still found beauty in the night sky. He didn't even want to wonder what Aizen would say, or his Division if they knew that the murderous Gin Ichimaru was an avid stargazer. The man who never opened his eyes, who didn't need too even when he was killing people had no problem keeping them open to look up at the night sky. The moon was just a sliver that night, barely a moon at all really. Gin let out a sigh of pure contentment and leaned back on his forearms to look up at the sky. His hair was so heavy now, he really needed to find the time to get it cut.

"There you are!"

Gin bent his head further back, letting his eyes slit. Upside down Matsumoto was just as breathtaking as she was when he was upright. They used to stargaze together and he would tell her all about the constellations and what they meant. She had graduated the Academy very recently, just long enough for her to 'personalize' her Shinigami uniform. The garment was very loose on top and very tight on the bottom before it fanned out into the traditional hamaka. The big white bow on her waist gave just a hint of juvenility to the otherwise mature outfit. Wrapped around her neck was the pink scarf he had given her ages ago that she had refused to take off practically since he gave it to her. At the moment she looked somewhat less than thrilled with him, her grey eyes sparking with fury which was softened by her cropped strawberry blond hair.

"You cut your hair," he said, feeling the weight of his own too-long locks.

"I've been looking _everywhere_ for you! Captain AIzen said you left hours ago!"

He had left hours ago, on AIzen's business. After killing three men quietly and disposing of the bodies he had spent half an hour scrubbing his hands so that there was no trace of blood on his boney fingers. Then he had sat down on the top of the Tenth Division--her Division--and let his guard drop. His Spiritual Pressure was so familiar to Matsumoto that it took her barely any time to find him. He was very good at masking his Spiritual Pressure though, good enough that when he wanted too it was virtually impossible to find him. There were people that he wanted to be hidden from, people he needed to hide from but if there was someone he wanted to be found by it was Matsumoto. The only time he hid himself from her was when Aizen wanted him too.

"Yeah I had things to do," he said with an upside down shrug. A sigh of frustration escaped her parted lips, "you gonna stand there or you wanna come sit with me?"

Matsumoto sighed again before walking over to him. She hated when Gin had his 'things to do'. He was always disappearing off to God knows where. She hated it when he did that but it was not as though she had _any_ say in the matter. Slowly she walked over to where he sat and lowered herself down next to him, letting her legs dangle off the edge of the building. Gin pushed himself up and looked over at him, his silver hair flopping into his eyes. His lips pulled up into his usual bright grin. Matsumoto felt her own lips curve into a reciprocal smile. She found it impossible to keep the smile off her face when Gin grinned up at her--except if he was being particularly infuriating, then she could defend herself from his smile.

"You're hair's too long," she said glancing up at his hair, "you should get it cut."

"I've been busy," he said with a shrug.

"Busy," she repeated, "how can you even see--" she stopped remembering he didn't even open his eyes, "well its gotta be even harder with your bangs in your eyes."

"Eh I'll get around to it one day," he said with another careless shrug as he looked up at the sky, "how was work today?"

"Horrible," she pouted, "you're lucky your Captain _does_ paperwork, mine just pines over some girl," she pulled out the bottle of sake he didn't even realize that she was carrying and uncapped it, taking a long drink, "its really quite pathetic."

"You're such a romantic," Gin grinned over at her.

"I am," she said defensively, "just not when it involves me having to do two people's worth of paperwork."

Gin snorted, despite the fact that Matsumoto's eyes glared furiously at him in response. Matsumoto didn't have a romantic bone in her body and he had seen that body in _all_ stages of development from starving orphan to voluptuous woman. If she was a romantic she'd keep her top closed or consider _their_ relationship with romantic eyes. He knew people were wondering right and left if there was something between the two of them. He was a heartless bastard and she was, well, she was a far cry from him. It wasn't like he could deny the fact that she was a very attractive woman, he didn't think that even Tousen could deny that. But there was more to it. Every time that someone made the slightest derogatory comment he was behind them with his grin and slitted eyes. It was as if in some strange way he felt he had a claim to her. Perhaps it wasn't a sexual thing or even a romantic thing but Matsumoto was not going to be harmed, not if he could do anything about it.

He had kept her safe for as long as he could, protected her in the little cottage that was the first place he had ever called home, but she had discovered she could be a Shinigami. She didn't know before then what he was, his rank and his abilities, he was just 'Gin', the strange boy who saved her life and became her world. But the moment she set foot in that academy she had discovered that he was something much much more. He had already graduated, he was a prodigy in every sense of the world and the newly appointed Captain Aizen, one of the strongest and most beloved Captains in Soul Society had taken him under his wing. For the first time in his entire life Gin Ichimaru had been embarrassed. He hadn't been embarrassed when he met Byakuya Kuchiki who practically pissed nobility even though he had dirt on his nose, he hadn't been embarrassed when he met the Commander General even though he still had blood on his hands from the last person he killed. But meeting Matsumoto in his full Shinigami uniform when he had been so careful to change into a commoner's robe before meeting her, that was embarrassing.

After she finished screaming at him for lying she had assured him that nothing would change and that he'd better help her with her homework since he was such a genius and all. In the time before the Court of Pure Souls when they had lived in that little shack, they had seen each others bits. On cold nights they had even slept in each other's embrace to share body heat. But once they were in the Court where there was food and heat and everything they needed, those moments seemed to slow to a trickle. He still knew what her body felt like pressed against his and she still knew what he looked like naked but the moments were far and few between. Especially now that she was the Lieutenant and so was he.

"Gimme that," Gin reached over and took the bottle, one of his hands brushing against her breast.

"Hey!" Matsumoto cried, outraged.

She was outraged both at the theft of her sake and at the forearm that brushed against her breast. It wasn't like Gin hadn't felt them before but still...things were _different_ now. She had learned that her body was something that men viewed differently than Gin had. He had never treated her differently because of how she looked. She knew she looked different, that he was a boy and she was a girl but she didn't realize that there were pretty girls and ugly girls. Apparently she was one of the former. Gin still treated her like he usually did but the rest of the boys, they seemed to have gone _crazy_ for her. She knew there were men who would kill each other to touch what he had just touched but Gin was completely unaffected as usual by her appearance. He simply took a long pull of the drink before holding the bottle out in front of her.

"Give that back!" she said knowing the moment she reached for it he would pull it away, "_Gin_," she wined his name, hoping that would get him to give her back her drink, "I've been listening to my Captain whine all day! I need that!"

Gin just grinned and took another drink.

"Give that back!" Matsumoto repeated hotly leaning over him.

"You're sounding like an alcoholic Ran," he said letting his nickname for her drop easily from his lips.

"So what if I am?" she reached forward but he held the bottle high over his head, "Gin!"

Matsumoto toppled fully into his lap, her chest pressing against his thighs. Instantly his free arm went around her waist to make sure she didn't fall, they were on the edge of the building after all. Matsumoto sighed and looked over at him. Gin grinned brightly and wiggled his fingers so the sake bottle danced. Matsumoto, knowing it was hopeless sighed and twisted around, shifting so that her head was in his lap instead of her chest. Gin raised an eyebrow at her easy giving up on their game. Usually she played until he beat her soundly or found himself amused enough to let her win. He pouted at the loss of the fun and lowered his hand. Instantly her own enclosed around the bottle and pulled it free.

"Gotcha!" Matsumoto smirked angling her head and taking a long drink of sake, "I won that time," Gin grinned, "stop looking so smug," Matsumoto said.

"You won that one," Gin said with a shrug.

"You're supposed to look upset."

"Why'd I be upset? I won every other time--ow!" Matsumoto hit his side, "it's not nice to hit your pillow," Gin said looking down at her face. Matsumoto stuck her tongue out at him, "besides if you're not nice I ain't gonna give you your present."

"Yes you will," Matsumoto said.

"You sound so sure of yourself--if I'm getting that predictable I'd better change up and keep this for myself," he said with a grin.

"Oh no you won't," Matsumoto said.

"Why not?" he said, intrigued at her sake-induced confidence.

"Because I'll make you give it to me."

"And how'll you do that?" he asked cocking his head to the side.

"Like this," she said reaching up and grabbing a fistful of his hair.

Gin expected her to try and attack him. They had fought before with him always being careful not to hurt her and she always calling him a sexist pig. But now when she grabbed his hair her motives seemed entirely different. The sight of her pink tongue darting out and moistening her lips was about all the warning he got before her pink lips were pressed against his grinning ones.

Well that got rid of his grin _fast_.

She tasted like sake and like, like peaches. The smirk was gone from Gin's face as his ruby eyes not only opened but got wider than they ever had been. Her lips were soft, as soft as the body pressed against him. He was too stunned to move, to think, to do anything but wonder if she was trying to kill him and take his present for her. It certainly felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. Her eyes were open too, first as she glared at him and then as the glare slipped into her own expression of shock. She hadn't expected kissing him to feel so, so _good_. His lips were soft too, odd considering the rest of him was so bony and hard. His too long silver hair tickled her cheek even as his ruby eyes stared back at her in complete shock. SHe didn't think she had ever seen him look shocked before, certainly not to the degree that he did now. Finally though she pushed herself back from him. sat back on her heels, perpendicular to his body and held out her hand.

Equally wordlessly Gin reached into his pocket and pulled out a black pouch, placing it in the palm of her hand.

"Yay!" Matsumoto pushed aside her racing heart to undo the little tie on the pouch and empty the contents into her hand. The gold necklace pooled neatly into the center of her palm, "oh _Gin_," she gasped.

"You never could get the claps," he said referring to the only other necklace she owned which she could never do the clasp of.

"This is beautiful but how did you afford--how did you find--why--" she stared at the present, completely shell shocked that he would go through all that trouble just to pick out the most perfect gift she'd ever received, "Gin," she looked at him, unable to understand.

"You're supposed to say 'Thank you' Ran," he said, hating how she looked so much like the pathetic, starving creature he had rescued so long ago, "don't tell me you can't figure out how to put that one on."

"Of course I can!" she said hotly looping the chain around her neck and feeding it through the ring. On her it even looked more perfect than he imagined it would, "its cold," she said feeling the cool metal against her skin, "thank you Gin," she said with a smile.

"So where'd you learn to do _that_?" he asked.

"Oh, I--" Matsumoto flushed, "someone just said that they'd do anything to kiss me so I thought i'd see if it'd work."

"On them?" he demanded feeling something odd coil inside him.

"Of course not! I just kissed _you_ didn't I?" she questioned feeling her cheeks heat up, "why'd I wanna kiss those boys? They just stare at me," she shook her head, "i don't know why."

"You're pretty Ran," he said with a shrug before he realized what he had just said,

Gin's eyes widened when he realized what he just said. He had just called her pretty. Matsumoto's eyes widened as she looked over at him. Oh shit, now she was going to think he was one of those weird boys that just stared at her--she was going to go and kiss them now. God, why did he have to embarrass himself so much around her? It was a miracle that she hadn't told Soul Society what a complete idiot he could be. But he was only an idiot around her, not around anyone else. He was 'cool' around everyone else or at the very least intimidating. But not around her. Around her he was becoming as stupid as that Kuchiki brat.

"I' mean--" he began, scrambling to salvage what dignity he had left.

"You think I'm pretty?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Gin started at her. Matsumoto bit her lip. She knew she was pretty but she hadn't ever thought that _Gin_ thought she was pretty. It was infuriating because she never knew what to make of him and wonderful because he didn't treat her oddly thanks to how she looked. It had only recently become a problem when she had seen couples kissing or doing more in darkened corners and wondered what it would be like to do that with Gin, only to admonish herself that Gin was her oldest, closest friend and didn't think of her like that. One of her fingers came up to touch the necklace at her throat as she stared at him, her heart pounding as he looked actually nervous for once in his life. Finally his head bobbed in meek confirmation of the compliment and Matsumoto felt her heart soar in response. He thought she was pretty. Her hand slipped from the necklace to brace her weight as she closed the distance between them.

This time he met her half way, not just her lips pressing tightly against his. It was softer this time, both were a bit clumsy with their movements. His silvery hair touched her cheek as she leaned closer to him, her weight shifting to come against his. Somehow they both lost their balance and toppled back onto the roof, her body landing on top of his. But they didn't stop, their lips still played against each other as they tried to figure each other out. For all her beauty and for all his abilities, neither had any experience in the area of kissing prior to that night, prior to the moment when Matsumoto rammed their lips together to get her present from Gin. But now with their eyes closed and their lips moving against each other with less and less shyness, they found themselves in an odd but wonderful situation. When Gin's long, pale fingers came up to brush through Matsumoto's hair, she felt almost dizzy. Everything that had a moment ago been so chaste and innocent was suddenly not so.

Finally they pulled apart but she remained pressed against him. The hand that had toyed through her hair rested against her waist as she pushed herself up against his chest.

"You think I'm pretty?" she repeated looking down at him.

"Yeah," he said, finally finding his voice, "I think you're pretty."

"Okay," she said with a grin before she turned so they were laying side by side, her head cushioned on his chest. One of her hands came up and pointed upwards, "what are those stars right there?"

"Those are Pegasus," he said taking her hand in his and tracing the shape they were supposed to form before beginning to tell her the story.

Matsumoto smiled as he spoke, his chest vibrating against her ear. His voice was odd but she had always found it soothing. This was no different as he told her stories about the stars as they passed the bottle of sake between them. Every once in a while their lips would meet in kisses that became increasingly clumsy as the bottle dwindled. Finally though Matsumoto pushed herself up and looked at Gin with the same foggy determination she had to get her present.

"I'm sleeping with you tonight," she announced.

Gin looked up at her and pushed his too long hair out of his eyes before he got to his feet.

"Okay, lets go."


	3. Tick Tock

A whimper drew Gin's eyes to the side of the room he was currently calling home.

He had come back from performing one of the side tasks that Aizen had asked him to do, taking care of three men causing trouble, and _Shunpoed_ back to the outskirts of the District they were living in. He always stopped a ways away and walked up, making sure it looked like he had just been out for a stroll. He knew Rangiku didn't believe he was just out walking but he did not need her too, he just needed her not to know that he had been performing his duties as a Seated Officer of the Court of Pure Souls. Unfortunately it had become increasingly harder to keep the two sides of his life apart. He knew Rangiku had Spiritual Powers but they had been growing at a normal rate. There was no need for the Academy or anything like that--not yet anyway. Part of him wished there would never be any of that. Part of him did not want to take her to the Court of Pure Souls. He did not want her to know about the other part of his life, the part where he was Gin the prodigy, Gin the creepy young man--

Gin the monster.

"Ran?" he peered at her face.

Normally when he left if she was still asleep she had pitched the covers off her body. He always made sure she was tucked in. So when he came back and she was not only tucked in but curled in a tight ball as close to the dimming fire as she could get he had been confused. Ran was not above teasing him but not like she was doing now. He had put a hand against her forehead and she had let out a moan, turning her face toward the coolness. He had snatched his hand back, terror racing through him. He knew what fever did to people in their situation. Without help she could die. But part of him had held back, held onto the idea that she could pull through it and that their lives could continue onwards. He had stayed up watching her, wanting to see if he was right or wrong. As the hours slipped by he began to be more and more convinced that it was the latter of the two. Now as he looked at her flushed cheeks and pale features, he knew that nothing good could come of this.

But he had no choice in the matter. Aizen would find out where he had been sneaking off too, the rest of the world would know that Gin the monster actually cared about someone. And Ran--well Ran would be absolutely livid. He never went into depth about what he could do, the extent of his genius and abilities but now it was all going to be blown wide open. She was going to be beyond furious. But one look at her tight features and he knew he would rather have her alive to yell at him than dead. Carefully he reached out and shook her shoulder. She made a small sound of protest and curled tighter, trying to get away from his hand. Gin shook her harder.

"Ran," he whispered, "Ran ya gotta hold onto me, 'kay?"

He hooked her too-hot arms around his neck and slid his hands around her legs, hauling her up onto his back. His robe slipped slightly, her too hot forehead pressing to the bare skin of his shoulder. Worry curled through him as he kicked off the ground and threw himself into _Shunpo_, focusing on getting to the Court as fast as he could. Her breath was labored as she made small sounds of discomfort as the cool air whipped across her face. Gin swallowed thickly, wishing that there was a way to get there faster. It felt like an eternity before he reached the gates that separated Rukongai from the rest of the world. The guards were quick to let him pass, the Giants having long since memorized him thanks to the comings and goings of the young man.

He raced through the darkened Divisions towards the only one that was still bustling with activity: the Fourth. No-one dared stop him, they had seen much stranger things where Gin was concerned than a young woman clinging to his back with her head pressed to his shoulder. He knew the Fourth would still be busy. A handful of missions had come back today, squads with injuries, all he could do was pray that they would have room for Rangiku. Finally he skidded through the main building where most of the healing took place. Perhaps it was timing. maybe it was fate but just as he raced through the doors Unohana was coming out of a room to issue a report. She took one look at him and the strange girl on his back and within the next instant she was by his side. A heartbeat later two healers were there with a long narrow stretcher to take her to be healed.

"Who is she?" Unohana asked as he moved her onto the stretcher.

"Her name's Rangiku Matsumoto," he said

"Gin," Rangiku's fever clouded eyes snapped open, one hand grasping feebly at his wrist, "w-where are we--" she looked up, wincing at the bright lights, "whats going on--"

"You're gonna be okay Ran," he promised, "ya just gotta let 'em help ya."

"It looks like she's got the fever that's been going around the slums," she said, "we need to get her into treatment right away and you--" she looked at Gin, "we need to get you checked out as well. Its highly contagious."

"Is she gonna be okay?" he demanded looking at Unohana.

"Now that she is here she should be," Unohana replied, "we can treat this--if its caught early."

"She was fine last night," he blurted out, "but when I left this morning she was still sleepin."

"We're going to treat her now," Unohana said, "you as well. You did the right thing bringing her here. You just saved her life."

Gin watched her walk off with the stretcher.

He might have just saved her life but he knew that for them both, life as they knew it had just ended.

Miserably he sat there as the Fourth Division member did a series of tests before making him swallow some conception that tasted as though he had bottled the stench of Rukongai.

"So this is what you have been doing with your time."

Gin looked over to see Aizen entering the room. With a murmured excuse the healer hurried away. Gin kept his eyes ahead, shame staining his cheeks as Aizen looked at him. The calm, collected mask he wore around Soul Society had slipped in privacy, the cool, calculating side of Aizen's personality coming out. Gin looked over at his mentor, teacher--probably the only father figure he would ever have and gave a nod. Aizen sighed and toyed with the glasses he did not really need, looking carefully at Gin before he slipped them back on.

"Well taking care of another person is a far better alternative than what Tousen does with his time," he pushed his glasses higher on his nose, "Unohana has cleared you of the illness," he said, "and your friend will be just fine."

Relief swept over him like an icy wave. He pushed himself off the bed and followed Aizen out of the room. Aizen pointed in the direction of the room Rangiku was in. Gin quickly went in that direction, pushing open the door. Ran was in a white hospital bed, laying on her back. Despite Aizen's assurances and his belief in his Captain's words he felt unsure looking at Ran laying on the bed like that, a needle in her arm. Had she ever gotten a shot? Swallowing thickly he walked over to the bed quietly and pulled one of the stools nearby up, the thing gliding silently on its wheels. He sat on the stool and looked at her sleeping features. Her skin was dirty, her cloths were torn--even the ends of her hair were split. He had done his best to take care of her but in the midst of such a pristine place every failure was laid bare. Even so, a part of him wished that they could have stayed in Rukongai for longer.

"She will sleep for most of the night," Unohana walked into the room. He looked up at her, "you need your rest as well. You should return to the Fifth Division and try to get some rest."

He looked at her serene features and then at the Fourth Division Captain.

"I will send word the moment she wakes up," Unohana promised, "go home and get some rest, Ichimaru."

Though he had vowed to stay awake the moment his head hit the pillow he was out like a light. It was not until the next morning when a Hell Butterfly landed on his cheek and told him that she was awake that he woke up. With the same frantic urgency he sprinted to the Fourth Division. He along the same path to her room and raced inside before his courage failed him. She was sitting up in bed, looking out at the gardens. She didn't turn when he came inside, or when he walked over. In hindesight he would have realized that that was a very bad sign but unfortunately at the time he did not. He kept his eyes lowered as she yanked the IV out of her arm and walked forward on her knees, intent on putting him

He probably deserved the slap she gave him.

"You lying bastard!" she spat, her grey eyes blazing even though they were still foggy with the remnants of her fever, "how the _hell_ could you not tell me?!"

"Tell ya what?" he asked, but nervousness was thick in his voice.

"Oh I don't know, how about the fact that you're a Shinigami?!" she shouted, "what the hell were you going to do? Keep me there like some toy?! What was I? A side project?!"

"Huh?!" his head flew up, ruby eyes wide with shock. He knew she'd be upset but this was worse than he thought, "Ran--"

"Don't _Ran_ me!" she shouted, grey eyes swimming, "you _lied_ to me!" she threw out her hand, one finger at the door, "I never want to see you again Gin Ichimaru!" she shouted, "get out of here!"

Then she threw him out of the room.

**

* * *

**

"This behavior is unbecoming."

Miserably Gin turned his head from the window to where Aizen was sitting, brush poised elegantly over a stack of forms. He raised his eyes and looked at Gin who looked like he was seriously considering throwing himself out of the window and ending the misery that seemed to have come over him. Aizen sighed and laid down his brush, getting to his feet and walking over to where Gin was moping. Ever since that grey eyed girl had thrown him out of the hospital room and told him she never wanted to see him again he had been moping around like a broken-hearted fool which, Aizen was beginning to think, he was.

Truthfully Aizen had decided that what Gin did on his own time was Gin's business. He didn't think that Gin would betray him if for nothing else than the fact that Gin only respected people who were stronger than him. That and the fact that Aizen was the first person to treat him as something other than a freak of nature. Aizen was confident in Gin's loyalty. Unfortunately he had not factored in the possibility that Gin was off actually caring for another human being--someone weaker than him no less! Honestly Aizen had not thought his protege had it in him to accomplish but apparently that was not the case. Ever since the little girl had thrown him away he had been moping all around. He was still one of the deadliest men he had ever met, but now Gin Ichimaru was moping like a lovesick idiot.

"Go and speak to her," he said.

"She's just gonna slap me again," he muttered sounding like a petulant child.

"It is in my experience, Gin," Aizen said, "that women like Rangiku Matsumoto tend to be confused when it comes to men like you." Gin looked at him, "go and solve this problem before you become useless."

Gin pushed himself to his feet and walked out of the Division towards Academy. He knew she had started to take classes there after she had been released. He knew he had probably kept her away from the Academy for too long but she was still one of the younger students there. Even so he knew he had given her more than an excuse to hate him. As he walked he heard people murmur in surprise. He hadn't been back to the place since he graduated years ago. His teachers had been more than a little creeped out by him and he had considered them all idiots. Needless to say there had been very little to motivate him to return. Resisting the urge to slouch down, he forced himself to walk as though nothing was wrong, as if he was not walking towards a very painful beating.

"Ichimaru."

Gin turned his head to see a tall man standing there, clipboard in hand.

"Have you come to see the students off for their training exercises?"

"Nah," he said with a grin, "I'm lookin for Ran," the man looked at him blankly, "tall, strawberry blond hair--really big--" he moved his hands upwards on his chest.

"Ah. You must mean Matsumoto," the man said, "she should be getting out of class in a few minuets. Fourth room down the right corridor."

Gin headed in that direction. The hallways were, like most of Soul Society, exactly the same as when he had left. Idly Gin wondered if anything around the place would ever change. Maybe picking off Captain Hirako hadn't been the smartest idea, he at least kept things interesting. The doors opened just as he got there, students spilling out with the same vigor as when he had been a student. It seemed no matter the world, some classes were just painfully boring.

Finally he saw her.

Her hair was a bit longer, though not by much. She had tied the ties of her hamaka in a bow and the top of her robe was parted more than the others. Her eyes were focused on the the papers in her hands, her lip caught between her teeth as she seemed intent on some calculation. Someone called to her her and she smiled, waving before her eyes drifted over to where he was standing. Her eyes widened in surprise before narrowing angrily. She turned on her heel and walked off in the opposite direction.

"Ran!" he followed her quickly, not caring how the people saw him, "Ran--would you wait a second?!" his fingers snatched at her wrist.

"No!" she said moving forward.

He was faster. His hand locked about her wrist. Matsumoto whirled around angrily, unable to break his grasp. Her eyes narrowed furiously but he held fast.

"If you don't let me go I'll scream," she vowed, her voice low an angry.

It was a low move to use Shunpo as he did but he was past the point of caring. She had probably heard far worse about him anyway. Almost instantly they were on the roof of a completely different building, already in the exact same position. Matsumoto's eyes widened as she looked at Gin whose smile had vanished. His hand still grabbed her wrist but it was as though he held it in a silent sort of plea for her to listen. he would never ask her outright, if he asked her at all, but she knew in that moment what he was thinking. Her eyes dragged to the ground as she looked at the Shinigami milling about. They were already in a completely different part of Soul Society.

It had been stunning to find out what Gin really was. Gin the prodigy, Gin the amazing Shinigami, Gin the murderer, Gin the monster. He had always _always_ been just 'Gin' to her. Not a Shinigami, not an Officer, just the ruby eyed boy with a strange name who had saved her life--who continuously saved her life. He hadn't said a word to her. In a way it was comforting to know what he had been doing when he ran off but even so, it was jarring to think that he had an entirely different life, one without her. Finally his grip on her wrist slackened before he let it go entirely. Matsumoto looked at her wrist and then at him, missing the warmth of his touch immediately.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. He looked down, "why?!" she repeated, her voice harsher. Guilt was plain on his features but he made no move to explain, "tell me why!"

He couldn't. He couldn't tell her why he had kept her away because truthfully he wasn't entirely sure himself. He had wanted to protect her, he had wanted to keep her safe but wouldn't it have been better to keep her in the Court rather than some slum? She had gotten sick there. Maybe because he had been thrown into Soul Society when he was even younger than she was, maybe he wanted not just to protect the girl but the innocence she represented. He knew what the Court did to people, he knew that it would change her just as it had changed him. It was the way of war, of fighting monsters. One had to sacrifice their happiness for the safety of others.

"You weren't ready," Gin said.

"I wasn't _ready_?" Matsumoto demanded, "how would you know when i was ready?! Just because you're some Seated Officer?" she made a sound of disbelief though they both knew what that meant.

"Yes. I knew you weren't ready. You still aren't or you wouldn't be carryin all those books," he said nodding towards the stack in her arm.

"I'll be _fine_," she spat, "without you."

"No you won't," he said.

Her eyes blazed as she looked at him, offense written on her features. She knew her basic schooling but there was a difference between that and combat, one she'd have to learn if she was going to survive in this world. Her fingers tightened on the books she held as she seemed to contemplate slamming them full force into his head. Finally her features smoothed and she walked up to him. Gin braced himself, reasoning a concussion wouldn't be the worst thing to happen. Instead he had the wind knocked out of him when she slammed her books into his stomach. His hands caught them automatically as she put her hands on her hips.

"You're the prodigy, help me then!" she snapped.

"Huh?"

He stared at her. She was asking him to _teach_ her? Well he supposed it made sense but still, it was a bit odd to think he was going to have to deal with her and learning, learning when he was not her only instructor. Finally his head bobbed up and down.

"Okay," he said, "I'll teach you. Come by--"

"I know you're division," she snapped furiously sitting down and sliding off the roof, jumping onto the walkway, "and this doesn't mean I forgive you!" she shouted after him.

Gin smiled.

* * *

**Okay so the next chapter or two will probably be a followup to this one. **

**I'm considering making this a longer story but I'm not wed to the idea. **


End file.
